<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The Royal Wedding by somewherewithtalltrees</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24376723">The Royal Wedding</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/somewherewithtalltrees/pseuds/somewherewithtalltrees'>somewherewithtalltrees</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Women's Soccer RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, F/F, FIFA World Cup, Football | Soccer, Gay, Gay Character, Kings &amp; Queens, Lesbian Character, NWSL, National Women's Soccer League, Orlando Pride, Princes &amp; Princesses, The Royal Wedding, US Women's Soccer National Team, Weddings, Women's World Cup, World Cup, royal family</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 01:07:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,206</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24376723</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/somewherewithtalltrees/pseuds/somewherewithtalltrees</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ali Krieger is a professional soccer player for the US women's national team and Orlando Pride. At 35 years old, and after living through the whirlwind that was winning the 2019 World Cup, her best friend sets her up for a blind date in London while they're on vacation. As it is a blind date, it isn't until Ali steps into the small, private cafe that she sees her date is no other than Princess Ashlyn Harris, the Queen of England's granddaughter. As if in a fairy tale, it was love at first sight; but the similarities to a Disney Princess's love story stopped there as the reality and hardships that came with being in a relationship with a member of the royal family set in.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Abby Wambach/Glennon Doyle, Ashlyn Harris/Ali Krieger, Dom Dwyer/Sydney Leroux, Megan Rapinoe/Sue Bird, Tobin Heath/Christen Press</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>153</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Set Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This story is 100% inspired by the real life story of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Obviously, some things are totally fiction and most of the story line is adjusted to fit the woso world.</p>
<p>Because Ashlyn is a gay woman in the royal family in this story, let's just pretend that the world is in a much better place and the idea of this is not *as scandalous* as it would be in real life so we can avoid countless technicalities (there will still be issues like homophobia and sexism brought up though).</p>
<p>Since this whole royal family story is based on the actual system of the royal family in England, a lot of info is known about how it works, but I'm only going to be as accurate as I can/want to (because I'm lazy, let's face it) so if you see something that's inaccurate and doesn't match how the actual system works in real life, please just ignore it and go a long with it; I apologize in advance.</p>
<p>With that said, I really hope you enjoy this story. This is my first work, so I would really appreciate it if you could share it on twitter or instagram or just leave comments and kudos on here. Let's dive in into the story that places woso's royal couple into an actual royal family!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The bus was making its way through the busy streets of Los Angeles as the now-not-so-sober, star-studded soccer team tested its manufacturers by bouncing in celebration of the many wins they’ve accumulated the past few days. Many of the team members had taken to dancing in the small space provided by the aisle, which at this point Ali was sure was going to tip over the bus or pop out one of its tires.</p>
<p>	As the rest of the team continued the celebration, Ali looked out the window as they neared the hotel in which they were staying at. It had been a wild summer, one that exceeded all of her expectations by a million miles. She was sure this was her favorite win. 2015 was a sweet world cup victory, one that ended the drought the team had entered since 1999. The 2012 Olympics was one for the records, but she could only get this insight from her teammates as she tore her ACL just 5 months prior to the tournament. The 2019 World Cup however… will go down in history. The attention they got by the media and the president of the United States, no less, whether it was negative or positive remarks, helped boost women’s soccer and more specifically, the US women’s national team to a higher pedestal.</p>
<p>	Although she had had the most fun she can remember for the past 3 days; playing against the best players in the world, celebrating in the locker room, the multiple flights, the NYC ticker tape parade, the ESPYs, and the (probably hundreds of) liters of champagne had finally taken a toll on Ali as she eagerly stepped out of the bus to hopefully set her head down on a pillow soon.</p>
<p>	Megan, who luckily-- or unfortunately for Ali, depending on how you look at it-- is Ali’s roommate, was the last player to keep singing their famous tune (“we got four stars on our shirts”). This act lasted until they reached their hotel room, Ali thanking God for somewhat of a silence as she flopped down on her bed and tried to relax. It only lasted so long.</p>
<p>	“So! Sue is gonna pick us up tomorrow at like 9, so you better get your stuff together right now,” Megan says as she excitedly opens her suitcase to prepare her outfit for tomorrow’s trip. “I can’t have what happened the last time you decided to procrastinate packing for one of our trips,” she eyed Ali, making sure to throw one of her pillows on the brunette’s head to get her point across.</p>
<p>	Ali groaned in annoyance and exhaustion from under the pillows. The incident Megan was talking about involved a very sleepy Ali getting out of her hotel room in a rush as she tried to pack everything in under 10 minutes, failing to notice that the underwear she hastily chose to wear was indeed pretty visible under her white jeans, something she didn’t find out until she met Megan in the middle of an airport.</p>
<p>	She moved the pillows out of her way and looked at Megan who had finished assembling her outfit for tomorrow. “How do you have any energy at all? I didn’t even play as much as you and I feel like dying.”</p>
<p>	“It’s the adrenaline!” She paused before giving Ali a smirk, “or it might be the fact that I have some celebratory sex impending in London.”</p>
<p>	Ali is quick to pick up one of the pillows next to her and throw it back to Megan, hitting her right in the face. “Ugh! You guys are so gross. Can you and Sue please keep in mind that some of us are single?”</p>
<p>“Oh, now don’t act like the damsel in distress, sister. I’ve given you plenty of options-- actually, the entire team has, even your own mother!” Megan, along with a few of Ali’s closests friends (and yes, much to Ali’s disdain, also Debbie, her mother), has tried to set her up with multiple girls. All of which haven’t gone past a second date.</p>
<p>“It’s not my fault you guys apparently have no idea what kind of girls I like!” She says as she stands up from the bed and starts following Megan’s steps to pack her things for tomorrow.</p>
<p>“Well, then, Kriegs, enlighten me. What is your type?” Megan says, raising one eyebrow as a challenge.</p>
<p>Ali takes out a pair of black jeans, buying herself time to really think about this. “I don’t know…” she mumbles. “They have to be nice and smart. They have to be driven towards their goals, be brave enough to go after them. I don’t want to be with someone ordinary or average. I mean like, i’m not saying that they have to be freaking Beyonce in order for me to date them. I just don’t want to be with someone who simply goes through the motions of life instead of actually trying to live.”</p>
<p>	“What about hot?”</p>
<p>	“Yeah,” Ali rolls her eyes. “Hot wouldn’t hurt either.” She closes her suitcase and puts it on the ground. She quickly changes to her pjs, going to the bathroom to brush her teeth before finally going to bed.</p>
<p>	Megan walks into the bathroom with her own toothbrush in hand. “I might have someone in mind…” She looks at Ali through the mirror.</p>
<p>	Ali rolls her eyes again. “Good luck, then, because there is no way I’m letting you put me through another one of your blind dates.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>	About 20 hours later, Ali, Megan, Sue and two more of Ali’s teammates, Sydney Leroux and Heather O’Reilly, arrived at the reception of their hotel in London. Before the World Cup had started, the group had agreed that, win or lose, they would take their small break in between national team duty and club team duty to go on vacation with their families as well. So, after dropping off their stuff in each of their hotel rooms, they headed out for dinner. Kyle, Ali’s brother, and Debbie, Ali’s mother, were already waiting for them at the chosen restaurant, along with the rest of the group’s families and significant others. Once they got settled in and talked through the excitement that was winning the World Cup, conversation flowed in another direction.</p>
<p>	“So, I was thinking--” Megan started before she was interrupted by Syd.</p>
<p>	“Well, that’s never good,” she remarked.</p>
<p>	“Shut up, Syd,” she turns to Sue, “see babe? See how they always bully me, and you never believe me?”</p>
<p>	Sue patted her back, faking a pout, “I’m starting to think it’s for a good reason.”</p>
<p>	“Atta girl!” Syd said as the rest of the group laughed at their antics.</p>
<p>	“Anyways,” Megan rolled her eyes. “I was thinking that once everyone gets their much needed sleep and rest tonight, tomorrow we can go to this club I found on the webs--”</p>
<p>	“The webs? Really, Pinoe?” Ali chimed in with her teasing.</p>
<p>	“Alright, Krieger. You really shouldn’t be testing me right now since this idea is for you specifically,” Megan retorted.</p>
<p>	At this, Kyle’s interest spiked up. “Oh my god, wait. Are you talking about getting Ali some celebratory sex?”</p>
<p>	“Oh, dear,” Debbie exclaims and turns around to start a new conversation with Megan’s parents.</p>
<p>	“Um, excuse me--” Ali tries.</p>
<p>	“Yes! I think the club sounds like a great idea,” Hao rubs her hands as if maliciously planning something. “Come on, Kriegs! It’s London! Didn’t you always have a thing for British accents?”</p>
<p>	“I also have a thing for this little hormone called melatonin. I don’t know if you guys have heard of it, but it’s something your body releases when you’re absolutely tired after playing the biggest tournament of your life,” she sips her drink to avoid the eye rolls she gets around the table.</p>
<p>	“There is plenty of time to rest later,” Syd says.<br/>	“There is absolutely no time,” Ali deadpans.</p>
<p>	“Why are you guys trying to set Kriegs up, let the woman breathe,” with this, Dom (Syd’s boyfriend) earns a mouthed “thank you” from Ali.</p>
<p>	“She’s been breathing for months now. She was just complaining to me about being single yesterday. Plus, when was the last time she had sex?”</p>
<p>	Ali’s eyes feel like they’re about to pop out of her head as her face turns a deep shade of red, but Syd beats her to an answer. “Wait, there was that one girl, right? What was her name?”</p>
<p>	“Nicole, Nancy... No, Charlotte--”</p>
<p>	“Brianna?”</p>
<p>	“Stacy!” Hao exclaims, finally remembering the brunette that stole Ali away for a couple of dates during camp last year.</p>
<p>	“Okay, but that was like centuries ago. Are you sure you’re not ready to get back into action, sis? Get that motor up and running, if you know what i mean?” Kyle takes a jab at Ali’s side, who was about ready to leave.</p>
<p>	Once again, Ali opens her mouth to speak but is interrupted by Megan. “Don’t worry, Kyle. We’ll save your sister from dying alone as a virgin. Sue’s got it handled,” she says with confidence that almost makes Ali forget her worries.</p>
<p>	“I do?” Sue looks around in confusion.</p>
<p>	“Yep, you do,” Megan pats her knee. “Remember that little blind date I was talking to you about, Kriegs?”</p>
<p>	“I told you there was no way in hell I was going to another of those. Don’t you remember how traumatized I was from the last ones?” Ali crosses her arms, determined for this to go her way, for once.</p>
<p>	“It’s either the club or the blind date. Pick your poison, honey.” Megan says with finality.</p>
<p>	“You know I’m not the kind of person to just hook up with random people at some club.”</p>
<p>	Kyle claps his hands loudly. “It’s settled then! Blind date it is!” Ali is about to protest but is cut yet again. “I’ll help you pick an outfit tomorrow, with that world cup win you could probably buy an entire British boutique.”</p>
<p>	“Easy there, I think you’re forgetting I won the women’s world cup, not the men’s.”</p>
<p>	“So is that a yes?” Syd asks hopefully.</p>
<p>	“You guys act like I was given a choice!”</p>
<p>	“You were!” Megan exclaims. “But don’t worry, the blind date will be so much better than the club. It’ll be fun! You both will know there’s no strings attached since you live on opposite sides of the Atlantic ocean. All fun and games. None of the sour and all of the sweet.” She wiggles her eyebrows.</p>
<p>	“You guys are the worst. I can’t believe you talked about my sex life right in front of our parents.” Ali rubs her face with her hands in slight embarrassment.</p>
<p>	“Oh, you’ll thank me later,” Megan says, leaving everyone else at the table wondering what the pink-haired woman has in store.</p>
<p>	After dinner, everyone heads back to their hotel rooms, ready to finally get their sleep in. Before going to bed, Sue takes this time to interrogate Megan.</p>
<p>	“Who are you setting up with Ali? I didn’t know you had friends in London.” Sue adjusts her pillow before turning to face her girlfriend.</p>
<p>	“Oh, I don’t. You do, babe.” She smiles sweetly at Sue, feigning complete innocence.</p>
<p>	“What? What are you talking about?” Sue chuckles because she thinks this goalscorer has honestly had way too many drinks since they won the tournament.</p>
<p>	“Not just long ago, you were talking to Diana about setting up a date for a specific someone you both just happened to become friends with last olympics… weren’t you, babe?”</p>
<p>	Sue’s eyes go wide in realization. “Are you crazy?! You told Ali this would be some casual, no-strings attached shit. This is not what we should be advertising to the Princess of fucking England!!”</p>
<p>	“It’s actually the Princess of Wales. Come on, babe, I thought you’d know your ancestor’s history,” Megan tries to snuggle into Sue’s side but she’s pushed away.</p>
<p>	“My father’s ancestry is Russian Jewish.”</p>
<p>	“Whatever. What I’m saying is, what’s the harm if you tell them both that it’s just a casual kind of thing.” She shrugs.</p>
<p>	“You think you can just call a literal Princess and tell her to go on a date in the next 24 hours? Like she’s just sitting around waiting for this to happen? What if she’s not even in England? For all we know, she could be snorkeling in Australia or she has a tea party with her grandma on tuesday.”</p>
<p>	“A tea party?” Megan laughs at her girlfriend’s ridiculous excuses.</p>
<p>	“Megan, I’m serious. What part of this is a good idea?” She turns her head to look at her, waiting for a good enough response to approve of this crazy idea.</p>
<p>	Megan sighs, slightly annoyed that Sue doesn’t see the geniosity of her plan. “Think about this,” she grabs her girlfriend’s hands. “They’re both single. They’re both gay. They have both been to shitty dates for the past few months, so there’s definitely some tension that needs to be released there!”</p>
<p>	“So let me get this straight,”  Sue continues, ignoring Megan’s laugh at the irony of her comment. “You want me to offer the Princess of Wales a hook up?”</p>
<p>	“Why are you making this so complicated? It’s a blind date, but they both know there can never be anything serious because they live across the ocean from each other, for one. It’s just for shits and giggles. I assure you they’ll get along well and at the end of the day they can both just have fun.”</p>
<p>	“For shits and giggles? You think Ali Krieger will think this is funny when she walks into the restaurant to find out her blind date is the Queen’s granddaughter?”</p>
<p>	“I think it will be an event that will go down on history books.”</p>
<p>	Sue remains silent, not believing that she’s about to go through with Megan’s plan. “You really think they’ll like each other?”</p>
<p>	“Oh, 100%. Ashlyn Harris is Ali’s type, no doubt. And Krieger is prettier than like 90% of the girls the Princess has dated. You would think you could get the most beautiful women on the planet being a princess and a raging, hot lesbian for that matter.”</p>
<p>	“Ugh,” Sue sighs, finally giving in. “I’ll give her a call tomorrow.”</p>
<p>	“Yes!!!” Megan pumps her fists up in the air in victory. Add another win to the ones she’s had this past week.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Your Rebel Highness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi, everyone! I hope you guys are getting interested in the story. I promise it'll get more exciting as we get past character introductions/setting the scene. Please comment/leave kudos, it would mean a lot to me :)</p><p>A little detail I have to address: I know royals don't have last names. So let's just pretend like Harris is just one of Ashlyn's given names along with Michelle.</p><p>I'm not so sure what my posting times will be, but I'm just going to go ahead and post this second chapter so that more people start reading. The third one will not be far from this one though! As I write more, I'll figure out a consistent posting time. Until then, enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>To the outside world, Ashlyn Harris was the rebel of the royal family. Her sexuality, her usual activities, her clothes, the charities she decides to support and her time in the military all indicate as such. Never mind the way she speaks her mind about whatever she deems important to do so. The media has wasted no time in psychoanalyzing this for her. They say all of this rebellion comes from her childhood trauma. Her mother died when she was just 12 years old, old enough for her to remember every detail of the excruciating days and months that followed her death. The public has taken comfort in this, however, that the Princess’s behavior was not random, it’s psychologically proven that this could be a reasonable reaction to such trauma; acting out, that is. That the absence of her mother and a close strong female figure in her life was enough for the public to “excuse” her sexuality. But Ashlyn knew that that comfort also came from a place of homophobia. She wasn’t blind, nor naive.</p><p>	She remembers when she first came out to her grandmother. Of all people, she thought she would understand the most. She loved her more than her father ever could, after all. She would have gone to her brother if he hadn’t been busy in the military academy. Alas, she turned to her grandmother. She knew she had been around for almost a century. Times had changed and she hoped her sweet grandma’s mentality had too. That was the last time she let herself be naive. After confessing to her the feelings she has had for girls, and the lack thereof for boys, Ashlyn received nothing but a smile, a cocked head, and eyes that felt like they were looking right past her. With a stroke of her hair and a voice that sent chills down Ashlyn’s spine, she said “Oh, Ashlyn Michelle. You are just like your mother. Rebellious.” After that, she was instructed to go up to her room, which she did. Ashlyn had thought her conversation could’ve gone worse. But she was wrong. That was the worst.</p><p>The next morning, without a word from any of her family members, she was sent to an independent school affiliated to the Church of England. She no longer was able to stay at Buckingham Palace. She lived in another property of her family’s; away from everyone; away from her best friend Whitney; away from her favorite cousins. She spent most of her teenage years there. They were the hardest on her, but countless bible studies could never change who she was. With frequent visits from her grandmother and her brother Chris, they were able to work through this “issue”, so they called it. After seeing and hearing Ashlyn say that you “can’t pray away the gay”, the Queen issued a statement in support of Ashlyn and the LGBTQ community. After all, she said, Ashlyn was her granddaughter and she couldn’t change certain things about her, neither could she change other queer people’s identity that lived under her reign.</p><p>The media went wild. And that’s an understatement. It was months of “who is raising her? Has the royal family been cursed? Should this type of behavior be allowed at the highest seats in the country? Could exorcism work? Is this her mother’s ghosts’ doing?”. They even tried to hunt down Ashlyn’s exes with little to no success because 1). Ashlyn was only 16, her only “exes” were those she had shared a peck on the lips once or twice. And 2). No one would snitch on her since anyone who had the pleasure to meet the charming princess would never intend her harm. It wasn’t until her grandmother finally issued out another statement, firmly announcing that this was the last of sorts since this nonsense had to come to a halt immediately. The statement was mostly out of annoyance and for the reputation of the throne, rather than for support for Ashlyn. But with her grandmother’s words and Ashlyn’s genuine kindness and personality that won over the public’s trust, by the time she got her first girlfriend when she was 18, the media kept their criticism and homophobic/sexist statements to a “reasonable” amount.</p><p>What the outside world doesn’t see, or what they purposely neglect to see, is the amount of hard work that Ashlyn actually puts in to be a good working member of the royal family. She became the first princess to become a lieutenant, captain and leader of the Blues and Royals which is the second-most senior regiment in the British army. She attends almost every event that is asked of her to do so, she follows all the traditional rules-- of course not without sometimes commenting on the ridiculousness of such misogynistic ideals established centuries ago-- and she truly does love her family, as problematic and not-so-grateful as they might seem, this is the family she was born into and she loved them.</p><p>Most of the trouble with her family came when she started dating and she would introduce girlfriends to the family. Only about four past girlfriends had passed the test of meeting the family. There had been a couple of occasions in which Ashlyn thought one would stick, but meeting the family and the pressure that came with being in the public eye 24/7, not to mention all the other duties that came with dating a princess, always won out any kind of hope for a serious, long lasting relationship. And now, she was almost 34 years old and her last serious girlfriend had been about a year ago. Needless to say, her relationship with her family has been almost intact for a year.</p><p>It wasn’t until she got off of a conference call with the Olympic Gold Medalists and American basketball players Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird, that the thoughts of disrupting the current climate within the royal family emerged.</p><p>“A blind date?” She had asked in astonishment. It was funny to her that these Americans who she now considered her friends were brave enough to propose such an idea to her after only having met a couple of times.</p><p>“You said you needed some help to get back in the game, this is only a glimpse of what we can offer you,” Diana joked. “A date with a two-time world champion? What more could you want?”</p><p>Sue, on the other hand, did not look so relaxed. “But of course, Princess Ashlyn, if you feel as if we’ve overstepped, you can stop us at any moment. My girlfriend Megan is crazy. She’s the one that came up with this idea. So, really, we should be blaming her--” she stopped her rant when she saw the Princess laughing through their video chat.</p><p>Ashlyn listened to Sue and couldn’t help but laugh at the awkwardness and nervousness of the woman. It seems that she had forgotten Ashlyn is not as strict as most royals. “She’s a teammate of Megan Rapinoe, you say?”</p><p>“That’s correct,” Diana replied. “But that’s all we’re giving you. Don’t wanna spoil the surprise now, do you?”</p><p>Ashlyn smiled at this, “No, I suppose not.” She takes a couple of seconds to examine her friends’ faces and decide whether or not a day of fun would be just what she needed or if this idea was a little bit insane. Once she couldn’t stand the look of pure disdain on Sue’s face, she spoke, “So, where and when am I meeting this girl you speak of because I got a whole wardrobe to look through if I want to impress a world champion?”</p><p>After going over the details for the date and catching up, they said their goodbyes and ended the call. Ashlyn was now walking towards one of her favorite places in the palace, the garden by the water where it was an usual spot to find her or her best friend Whitney during the afternoons or mornings.</p><p>She nears their usual location as she spots Whitney sitting on one of the chairs, drinking what is presumably a cup of tea, overlooking the water in deep thought. She’s wearing a light pink hatinator to match along with her long-sleeve, light pink dress and heels.</p><p>“I thought I’d find you here,” Ashlyn says as she approaches the little table and lets Whitney stand up to properly greet her.</p><p>“Well, of course. I told you I’d see you first thing in the morning and--”</p><p>“And you always keep your word, I know,” Ashlyn playfully rolls her eyes but smiles, knowing that she had missed her friend terribly while she and her boyfriend had been away for a couple of weeks for their summer vacation. “But tell me, how was Australia? Did you butt heads with Ryan’s family or did you all hold hands and forget that they completely insulted your cooking last time you tried to make them dessert?”</p><p>Now it was Whitney’s turn to roll her eyes. “Ha ha ha. Very funny, Ashlyn. For the record, yes we all just pretended that the whole incident didn’t happen and moved on. But I mean that pie might have worked to some extent given that they made Ryan propose…” she blurts out casually as she brings her left hand from under the table and into full view, exposing the big diamond rock on her left ring finger.</p><p>Ashlyn almost jumped out of her seat. “WHAT? Oh my god, I knew he was going to do it! It was about bloody time!” She was basically screaming and she looked up to one of her security guards who shook his head in teasing disapproval, making Ashlyn raise her hand as an apology.<br/>
“I am so happy for you, you have no idea,” Ashlyn gets up to hug Whitney once again. She makes a show of kissing her loudly on both of her cheeks, making Whitney push her away playfully.</p><p>“So, tell me! How did it happen?” Ashlyn asks as she sits down again.</p><p>Whitney takes a deep breath and looks up to the partly cloudy sky, as if reminiscing. “We were on the balcony… I thought he was just being romantic with the candlelit dinner and the live violin players--”</p><p>“Hold on a second, you said live violin players?” Ashlyn tries not to laugh.</p><p>“Will you let me finish?” Whitney swats her hand at Ashlyn’s shoulder. “As I was saying before you rudely interrupted me-- God, you would think the Queen kept her granddaughter’s manners in check, wouldn’t you?” Ashlyn rolls her eyes, motioning with her hands for her to continue. “Anyways, he asked me to dance with him and then he started saying all these sweet things about a future together and how much he loves me and my family… Next thing I know he’s down on one knee and i’m saying yes,” she finishes off with a grin.</p><p>Ashlyn has a smile of her own as she responds, “Aw, Whit. That’s amazing. I don’t know about the violin players, but I am so happy for you both. He’s perfect for you. And you know I wouldn’t be saying this unless I completely meant it.” She placed her hand on her best friend’s arm to back her words.</p><p>“I know, Ash. Thank you.” She said with sincerity.</p><p>Ashlyn claps her hands together in excitement, “So, when’s the wedding?”</p><p>“We’re not completely sure, but we are aiming for May of next year.”</p><p>“Wow! That’s kind of soon. I need to get to work if I have to be the best maid of honor there is, then…” She eyes Whit and waits for her to confirm her thoughts.</p><p>“Now, who said you were the maid of honor?” She teases.</p><p>“Please, who else are you supposed to choose? Beatrice? Ha!”</p><p>“Actually, I was thinking more of Becky or Alyssa… if you don’t mind of course.”</p><p>Ashlyn’s face falls, a sight Whitney almost enjoyed if it weren’t for the fact that she knew her friend was taking this seriously. “I’m kidding, just make sure you don’t lose my rings,” she smiles as she sees the smile return to Ashlyn’s face.</p><p>“You know, if you weren’t so busy talking all about yourself and your big wedding and whatnot, I would have told you that I have a date tomorrow…” She watches for Whitney’s reaction out of the corner of her eyes.</p><p>Whitney has a more proper reaction than the one Ashlyn had to her engagement news, but the excitement was clearly still there. “You don’t say? With who? Do I know of them?”</p><p>“You do not know them, and frankly, I don’t either.” She takes a sip of the tea that had just been served to her by one of the servants a couple of minutes ago.</p><p>Whitney shakes her head in confusion, “I’m not following.”</p><p>“Do you remember how I told you I became close with those basketball players at the last olympics, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi?” Whitney nods. “So, they have a friend, actually Sue’s girlfriend, Megan Rapinoe--”</p><p>“Oh, God, you mean the American who basically told Trump to…” she tried to find the words, as always trying to avoid any cursing, because that’s what proper ladies did, of course.</p><p>But Ashlyn was never known for being censored, “To stick one up his arse? To fuck off? Yes, that is exactly her.” Whitney looked around to make sure no one of great importance was listening to the Princess’s foul language. “So, she said she had someone who had also been looking, or moreso, needed to be set up badly. And they happen to be in town for a couple of days for a little vacation after their world cup win so,--”</p><p>“Wait, you mean to tell me you’re going on a date with one of her teammates?”</p><p>“Correct. I don’t know which one though, it’s a surprise,” she smirks.</p><p>“An American?” Whitney scrunches her face up in disgust. “You’re going on a blind date with an American, have you gone mad?”</p><p>“Perhaps,” she sips her tea once again, looking out at the pond where a couple of ducks were now bathing under the intense sunlight.</p><p>“Ashlyn, you can’t possibly go through with this,” she lowers her voice. “You know the Queen does not fancy the Americans very much,” she says with wide eyes, looking more panicked than she had looked the day Ashlyn had brought an Irish girl to her cottage.</p><p>Ashlyn turns back to her, not at all worried that this plan could be an inconvenience. “Whit, relax. It’s not a big deal, it’s just a date.”</p><p>“Just a date? What happens if the media catches you, or if you end up liking each other and then you realize that it can’t possibly work because 1). You’re of British Royalty and 2). She’s American. Not to mention that she is already famous on her own.”</p><p>“You are the only one putting pressure on this date. We both know it’s just for fun. There’s no harm done if we’re just going out for dinner and drinks, sharing a few kisses from here and there, and maybe a lil something else on the side by the end of the night…” she insinuates, which she knows would drive Whitney even more worried.</p><p>“Ashlyn--”</p><p>“Just think of it as a British Royal spreading love and joy to those who lack it in their life,” she says, the smirk never leaving her face.</p><p>“Ashlyn--” Whitney’s eyes widen as she sees who’s approaching them.</p><p>“Frankly, I don’t see the matter, Whit. It’s not like I’ve never done this before. Remember the Irish girl--” At this point, Whitney wanted nothing more than to literally knock some sense into her friend’s head, but she didn’t get the chance as to now someone else had joined in on their conversation.</p><p>“Oh, how could we forget,” Prince Michael remarked from behind Ashlyn, who immediately stiffened at the sound of his voice (however, not as much as Whitney did). “We had to send backup security just to make sure the young lady made it safe back home, with no media interference.” He smiled, but Ashlyn knew it was no pleasant memory to him.</p><p>Whitney quickly stood, one foot behind the other, and bowed. “Prince Michael, it’s so lovely to finally run into you after so long! How are you?” Ashlyn followed suit and quickly bowed.</p><p>“Dear, Whitney, it’s lovely to see you, too. I’m doing great, thank you. And I hear congratulations are in order,” he nods towards Whitney’s unmistakable engagement ring.</p><p>“Oh, right. Yes, thank you. I was just talking to Ashlyn about how you and your family have been an important part in our journey as a couple,” she smiles widely.</p><p>Kissass, Ashlyn thinks, internally rolling her eyes.</p><p>“Well, it has been our pleasure to witness your growth together,” he then turns to Ashlyn who was wearing a very formal attire, not to his surprise because he knew Ashlyn was always one to showcase her fashion taste in the best ways possible. “Ashlyn, I had just come here to ask if you happen to be busy tomorrow.”</p><p>Ashlyn raised her eyebrows and unconsciously glanced at Whit. “Oh, actually, I did have plans for tomorrow. But, of course, Father, if you need me to do something tomorrow, I’d happily oblige,” Whitney smiled at this, pleased that her best friend always took her role in the family seriously, no matter how silly and rebellious she could be at times.</p><p>But Prince Michael shook his head, “No, no worries. I was going to ask if you didn’t mind taking Princess Anne on a helicopter ride for old time’s sake. She mentioned to me the other day she hadn’t seen you since you got back from your trip. Which was news to me. If I had known about this trip, I wouldn’t have given her hope to see her favorite niece last week, thinking that you were in town.”</p><p>Her father’s statement got Ashlyn annoyed. Of course, he had forgotten, once again, what she had mentioned to him countless times. “I was in Lesotho for a month. I just got back yesterday, I haven’t really had time to see much family yet. I suppose you could have forgotten about my trip’s details since you had one of your own this summer. Right, Father? Spain with Duchess Camilla?”</p><p>Ashlyn smiled at her father, but he knew there was nothing sweet about that smile nor her statement. He cleared his throat. “I suppose.” There was an awkward silence settling in between the three people in the garden. Two of which were trying really hard not to make more of a show that they had already made in front of their guest. “I will contact another pilot if Anne still wants that helicopter ride. But I’d suggest you go visit her soon.” He doesn’t wait for a response from his daughter and turns to Whitney instead, saying his goodbyes and best wishes as he turns around to leave the two women alone in the garden once again.</p><p>Ashlyn sits down, still a little angry from her father’s lack of awareness, and Whitney knew this, but refrained from commenting.</p><p>Several minutes later, Ashlyn takes a deep breath and says, “I really need that date tomorrow.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Launceston Place</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey, everyone. I'm so sorry that this chapter wasn't posted sooner. With everything going on, I found it extremely difficult to concentrate or find any inspiration to write this. I was also really busy trying to do my best to support the Black Lives Matter movement, and I hope you're doing the same! But I found a bit of time to write this short chapter.</p><p>Again, sorry it's short. But after this one, we'll finally get Ashlyn and Ali meeting each other! So, look out for that chapter any time this week. It's going to be a long one! But for now, I hope you enjoy this one! Much love! (And thank you so much for all the love and feedback I'm getting on this story! You guys inspire me to write!)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>July 12</p><p>	Sue had just finished getting Megan up to date with the plan for Ali’s blind date, something they had to do quietly as Ali and her brother were walking closely in front of them through the shopping mall they had decided to go to.</p><p>	“I can’t believe you got her to say yes,” to be honest, Megan had not actually thought the Princess would agree to this and now she was kind of scared they (more like Ali) were gonna mess this up.</p><p>	“It was mostly Dee, gotta give it to her. I think I forgot how to speak in the presence of the royal highness,” she made a show to bow her head dramatically for effect. “She was doing most of the talking, I looked like a fool.”</p><p>	“Still,” Megan whistled and shook her head. “I thought she was going to say no.”</p><p>	“Are you talking about my date?” Ali curiously asked as she fell back in walking pace with the couple. She had been wondering who the hell her date was since this morning; there are only so many people Pinoe could know in London.</p><p>	“Uh, yes, in fact we were.” Megan hangs her arm around Ali’s shoulder. “And we were just saying that if we don’t get you something good to wear your blind date might actually wish she was blind and leave.”</p><p>	Ali grabbed her arm and pushed her away, rolling her eyes. “You’re such an ass,” she said while Sue grinned and Kyle laughed. “Maybe she’s the one who should be worried. I always leave my dates with their jaws on the floor. I can’t believe you’re doubting me now.”</p><p>	“Oh, honey, I don’t think you’ve seen those eye bags since you finished the world cup,” Kyle commented.</p><p>	Ali gasps, immediately finding the closest mirror in the store they had just entered to examine her very prominent eye bags. Sure enough, they were worse than they were before the tournament, and now she was finding herself getting worried for this date.</p><p>	Sue walked around to stand next to her, one hand on Ali’s shoulder, “don’t worry, Krieger. We’re gonna make sure you look like a queen.” She glances at Megan to see if she caught her joke, only receiving an eye roll from the pink-haired woman.</p><p>	After what felt like hundreds of hours to Ali, they finally settled on an outfit. Ali had been hesitant to spend so much money on a single outfit, even though she did just earn plenty of money from sponsors and FIFA. However, she still side eyed Pinoe and Sue when they suggested a $3,000 dress. They ended up spending more than a thousand dollars, that’s for sure, but only because Megan and Sue offered to pitch in, which was when Ali started wondering if her date was going to be some A-list celebrity she needed to impress.</p><p>	When Ali and Kyle arrived at their hotel room, she felt exhausted and quite frankly anxious ever since she had left the store. She started thinking, and when Ali starts thinking her mind usually falls down a spiral of overthinking. She sits down on her bed, staring straight at the tv, but not caring to watch whatever Kyle had put on. She was 34 years old, about to turn 35 in just a few days. She had just lived through one of the best moments of her life, accomplished so much in her career and yet, it felt that she was missing something; it felt as if she hadn’t accomplished everything. Two world cups was everything? Surely not, she thought. Was it the Olympic medal that she was missing? Was it the NWSL title? It feels like there is a void in her life that she cannot fill with any kind of hardware or career goal.</p><p>	Her life is incomplete. Not her career life, not her job, not the family and friends aspect… her love life. And as she made this realization, she fought the feeling of anxiety washing over her. Of course, she thought. At 35 years old she was missing someone, a significant other; someone she could come home to; someone who she could wave to from the field and feel immediate pride when looking up at the stands; someone she could celebrate all the good things in life with; someone she could complain to, mourn and fight with when the world seemed to be ending. Where was that person? Where was HER person? Was going on meaningless dates such as tomorrow’s even going to help her find the one? At this point, why even bother going on such dates or doing one night stands when she was looking for a long term relationship? </p><p>	Before she could start questioning and wondering about how she got to this point and what went wrong in her past relationships for her to be here, Kyle broke her from her deep thoughts.</p><p>	“Ali, sweetie, what’s up?” He turned his body to face his sister who had been way too quiet since leaving the mall for her usual self and now looked like she wanted the tv to break into pieces from her staring.</p><p>	She turns to him, snapping back to reality. “Hmm? Oh, nothing,” she stares down at her phone, pretending like she suddenly had texts to go through.</p><p>	But that didn’t cut it for Kyle who knew Ali the best out of everyone in her life. “Alex, come on this is pointless, you know I know you and that I know there is something going on inside that giant head of yours.”</p><p>	“You know what’s pointless? This stupid blind date tomorrow,” she snaps.</p><p>“And there it is,” Kyle sighs out loud, moving from his bed to sit next to Ali. “Why don’t you wanna go? You haven’t gone on a date in a while, don’t you wanna dip your toes in the sea or something, whatever they say?”</p><p>Ali rolls her eyes. “Because i’ve been thinking lately…. and it just seems stupid do one night stands and go on one-time-only dates…”</p><p>Kyle shakes his head, knowing there’s more to it. “But why?”</p><p>“Because…. that’s just not what i’m looking for at this point.” She lets out a heavy sigh of her own. “I’m lonely Kyle. I’m 35 years old and I'm lonely. I want to go on dates because i’m looking for a long term relationship, not just for fun.”</p><p>Kyle lets her continue. “I’ve accomplished so much that I can be proud of, in my career and public life. A lot of my dreams have come true. But one of my dreams is also building a family. And it might sound silly but… I’m legitimately scared that it’s not going to come true.” She lifts her eyes to meet Kyle’s, feeling a little embarrassed of her confession and starting to wonder if what her father had once told her was true.</p><p>Kyle looks straight at her, with no other than a look of compassion. But suddenly, he bursts out, “Well, get in line, honey!” which makes Ali jump a little.</p><p>“You think it was fun being 36 and single? No! You’ve seen me plow through my life mostly single, do you see me panicking though? Do you see me stepping on the towel and kicking the bucket-“</p><p>“You’re messing up all the sayings-“</p><p>“Whatever! Ali, listen,” he takes his sister’s hands into his. “I get it. And you’re allowed to feel like this. But honey, have you looked at your resume, better yet, have you looked in the mirror? Have you seen that ass?”</p><p>“You’re insufferable,” she says, but chuckling.</p><p>“Alex, i’m serious! You’re smart, talented and beautiful. There is no way you are ending up all alone and dried up.” He knows she's not truly convinced yet. “Think about it like this. All it takes is one minute to meet the love of your life. You have 1,576,800 minutes before you get to panic. That’s 3 years.”</p><p>Ali looks at him in shock, “did you just do that math in your head?”</p><p>“Bish, i’m gay. Does it look like I can do math? I memorized it because some of us are also on the clock, ya know.” This gets a smile out of her so he continues. “So, you can start looking for your wife after this vacation trip. But for now, it’s time to fuck some—“</p><p>“Stop,” Ali puts her hand up and rolls her eyes. “I got it, but I don't wanna hear you say whatever was following that sentence. You’re annoying,” she says with a warm smile. “But i love you. Thank you,” Ali moves to hug him.</p><p>“Of course, sweetie. I’ll always be your number one hoe-getter,” with this, he earns a slap on the back from his sister who couldn’t help but smile.</p><p>-----<br/>
July 13</p><p>“So, what’s her name?” Whitney asks as she plays with Ashlyn’s gold watch that she picked out for her to wear for today’s date.</p><p>“They didn’t give me her name because she’s famous and all… I could easily look her up on Google and find out everything about her,” she responds as she finally finishes putting her hair in a tight, low bun.</p><p>“Oh, so she’s just like you, perfect!” She stands up to walk to Ashlyn and hand her the watch so she could put it on.</p><p>Ashlyn furrows her eyebrows, not really having thought about it like that. “Um.. I guess so.” All her dates before this one have consisted of the same group of people. Believe it or not, there are not a lot of queer women within the friend groups close to the royal family, nor are there many in other country’s royal families. So, her serious relationships and flings have often originated from random business trips or parties that she and her friends so famously go to. Most girls are billionaires’ daughters that attend prestigious universities and had dreams of becoming a lawyer. Therefore, they all have mostly “normal” lives, or as normal as you could get being daughters of billionaires. But one thing was for certain, they didn’t experience nor live under the media’s radar 24/7; that is, until they dated Ashlyn, which then most only lasted a couple of months. So now that Whitney mentioned it, it could be a factor for the two of them to have in common.</p><p>“So, what’s your plan?” Whitney asks another question.</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“I mean,” Whitney rolls her eyes and turns around to go back and sit in the loveseat situated by another mirror in Ashlyn’s large walk-in closet. “Are you going to bring her back to your cottage after supper? Or take her out to The Box to have some more fun?” The Box was a famous nightclub in London, one of Ashlyn’s favorites for sure.</p><p>“I don’t know, Whit. You know I never have a plan.” She tries to focus on fixing the collar of her shirt.</p><p>“Your plan is always to bring them home,” she gives her a pointed look.</p><p>“Well, then, there is your answer,” she smirks at her through the mirror.</p><p>“Just be careful not to get caught. Remember that your brother is supposed to get here tomorrow, so you can’t be out that late.”</p><p>Ashlyn turns around to face her best friend. “Whit! It’s just a date, this is supposed to be fun for me! You gotta let go of the rules from once in a while.” She moves to touch Whit’s forehead. “Your worry lines are already visible enough, you need to relax.” She laughs when Whit slaps her hand away.</p><p>“I’m just trying to look out for you, jerk.”</p><p>“I know,” Ashlyn smiles sincerely. She puts on her navy blazer to finally complete the look, and turning around, she says, “So, how do I look?”</p><p>Truth is, everyone knew the Princess had to try really hard in order to look even remotely bad. But Whitney would never admit that out loud since she thought her ego was already bad enough. “You look splendid. Or as Americans would say, smokin’ hot.”</p><p>Ashlyn chuckled, “We say that too, Whit. And thanks.”</p><p>“I know, but when they say it, it loses all the class.” She scrunches her nose in disgust.</p><p>“Didn’t you date an American once?”</p><p>“And that is why I am now engaged to a British man.”</p><p>-----<br/>
July 13</p><p>Pinoe was waiting in the lobby for Ali to come down from her room. She had wanted to help but after Kyle repeatedly told her no, she gave up on trying. Now, with less than 20 minutes before Ali was supposed to be at her date, she was beginning to panic. Sue was sitting down in one of the couches, mindlessly going through her phone and seeming more relaxed than ever, as if her friendship with a member of the royal family couldn’t be ruined at any moment.</p><p>“Alright, that’s it. I’m dragging her ass down here,” Pinoe exclaims and starts to walk towards the elevator before Sue can stop her.</p><p>The elevator doors open and conveniently, there stood Ali. “Were you looking for me?” She says innocently.</p><p>“You’re late! 10 minutes late to be exact. What the fuck took you so long?” She asks incredulously.</p><p>Ali steps out of the elevator and starts walking towards the exit. “Kyle wouldn’t let me leave until he took some pictures of my hair and outfit.” It was true, she had waited about 3 minutes for Kyle to find his camera which later took 10 more minutes for him to get enough pictures.</p><p>“I hate that man. At least you look good,” Pinoe says, taking in Ali’s outfit and giving herself a pat on the back for being so good at fashion.</p><p>Sue finally looks up from her phone and follows Megan and Ali near the main doors to the hotel. “You look hot, Krieger!”</p><p>Ali smiles at her, happy that at least the hours of getting ready paid off. “Thanks, Sue,” she winks at her just to annoy Pinoe.</p><p>“Hey! Watch it, Kriegs,” Pinoe says jokingly. “Alright, woman. Your Uber is outside. In fact, has been outside for the past 10 minutes.”</p><p>Ali turns to them one last time before she has to go. “Are you sure I look good? I don’t need to retouch my makeup or anything?” She asks nervously, suddenly feeling like she’d rather just stay grounded in the lobby.</p><p>“Yes! Are you joking? You look so good. Thank me later when you leave your date with her jaw on the floor because of that outfit.” She moves a strand of hair from Ali’s face and pretends to be tidying up her clothes. “Now, remember: good manners, not too direct with the flirting. Definitely do not get all handsy or cheeky--”</p><p>“What--”</p><p>“Oh, I know how you can get after a couple of drinks, Krieger! Be respectful. Make good eye contact, don’t forget to--”</p><p>“Okay, who are you? My mother?” Ali asks, confused by the advice she’s receiving from the pink-haired woman.</p><p>Sue puts a hand on Pinoe’s shoulder and pulls her back from Ali. “What she’s trying to say is to have fun. And don’t screw this up.” She takes a more serious tone at the end, leaving Ali wondering if she is actually not joking at all.</p><p>“Okay… I guess I should go then, I’m already late.” Ali gives them one last weird look.</p><p>“Launceston Place!” Sue screams after Ali is already out of the lobby.</p><p>“What?” She screams back.</p><p>“Tell the driver you’re going to Launceston Place!”</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>